ELIZABETH, NJ—February 17, 2012— Mayor J. Christian Bollwage received notice from the New Jersey Division of Taxation today that applications for the 2011 Property Tax Reimbursement Program (Senior Freeze) will be mailed out to eligible senior citizen and disabled residents.

“It is very important that every eligible senior or disabled resident applies for the Property Tax Reimbursement program this year," said Mayor J. Christian Bollwage. "This new program will ensure that even more homeowners receive additional tax relief and I want to encourage all who think they may be eligible to apply before the June 1, 2012 deadline.”

The Senior Freeze Program, which is now in its 14th year, reimburses now qualified applicants for the property tax increases they incur each year. The amount is the difference between the property taxes due and paid in the applicant’s “base year” and the property taxes for the current year. Applicants must continue to meet all the income eligibility and residency requirements and must file an application each year to receive the reimbursement.

Residents must meet all of the following requirements:

• You were age 65 or older as of December 31, 2010, or if under age 65, you were receiving Federal Social Security disability benefits as of December 31, 2010, and December 31, 2011

• You have lived in New Jersey continuously since before January 1, 2001, as either a homeowner or a renter

• You have owned and lived in your home (or have leased a site in a mobile home park for a manufactured or mobile home that you own) since before January 1, 2008

• You paid the full amount of the 2010 property taxes due on your home by June 1, 2011, and paid the 2011 property taxes by June 1, 2012

• Your total annual income for both 2010 and 2011 was $80,000* or less. Note: With very few exceptions, all income received during the year must be taken into account to determine eligibility (including social security, pension income, etc.).

* Eligibility requirements, including income limits, and benefits available under this program are subject to change by the State Budget.

To assist applicants in completing the income section on the back of the application, the instructions for the 2011 reimbursement application have been expanded to include descriptions of the items of income and amounts that must be reported on each line of the income worksheet.

There are two versions of the property tax reimbursement application. Form PTR-1 is for applicants who are filing an application for the first time (or who filed an application last year but did not meet all the eligibility requirements). Form PTR-1 applicants must provide income and property tax information for both 2010 and 2011. Form PTR-2 is a personalized application sent to those who received reimbursement checks for 2010 (or who would have received reimbursements had budgetary restrictions not been in place for fiscal year 2012) and contains some of the information provided on the resident’s base year application.

The Division of Taxation will also mail applications to residents who may qualify to file for the 2011 reimbursement under the modified residency requirements approved in 2009, for those who were receiving reimbursements before they moved to a new residence. Eligibility requirements for these applicants are available on their Website at: www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ptr2year.shtml

If applicants have any additional questions or would like to check the status of their application, they should call the Property Tax Reimbursement Hotline at 1-800-882-6597, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. There will be in-person assistance available as well at Taxation Regional Offices www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ot1.shtml